Public voices at the heart of Northern Ireland's AI future as 130 people join AI and Our Society forum
AI’s impact on employment, education, privacy and the environment was among the issues raised at the Guildhall event
Around 130 people gathered at the Guildhall in Londonderry for a public discussion on the growing impact of artificial intelligence on society.
The event, hosted by Ulster University’s Artificial Intelligence Collaboration Centre (AICC) in partnership with AI for Collective Intelligence (AI4CI), brought together members of the public, AI specialists, industry representatives and policymakers.
The ‘AI and Our Society’ forum examined how artificial intelligence is already being used across areas including healthcare, education, public services and business, as well as the wider ethical, economic and social issues surrounding the technology.
Audience members took part in live polls and were invited to put questions to a panel, with employment, education, regulation, accountability and the use of personal and organisational data among the issues raised.
The polling also highlighted differing levels of engagement with AI. Some 26% of respondents said they deliberately use AI several times a day, while the same proportion said they never deliberately use it. A further 21% said they use AI daily.
Three-quarters of respondents said they felt fairly or very confident explaining in simple terms what AI can and cannot do.
The potential impact of AI on children, learning and creativity was the most frequently identified concern among those attending, followed by false or misleading information.
Other concerns included the concentration of power, security and harmful uses of AI, privacy and personal data, environmental impact, bias and discrimination, and the potential effect on jobs and livelihoods.
The environmental impact of artificial intelligence was also discussed, including the energy demands associated with the technology and its potential role in tackling climate change.
The discussion was chaired by independent strategy and policy adviser Lorraine Acheson.
Panel members included Professor Michaela Black, Professor of Artificial Intelligence at Ulster University and AICC principal investigator; Tadhg Hickey, head of AI and Digital Ethics Policy at the AICC; Kathryn Harkin, head of AI Northern Ireland at NTT DATA; Mark Lee, acting deputy secretary for Economic Policy Group at the Department for the Economy and Patricia O’Hagan MBE, chair of Matrix NI.
David Crozier CBE, AICC director, said the event was intended to give members of the public an opportunity to discuss the technology and its implications: “AI raises important questions about the kind of society we want to build and the values that should guide us. While the AICC has been working directly with businesses right across the region, we recognise that the technology stretches across all aspects of life. We were pleased to bring together members of the public in Derry~Londonderry last night to discuss and examine where we are now, what the technology can do, and what must be done in partnership across business, government and academia to ensure the technology reflects public needs. There was a central theme of the evening, that people see significant potential in AI but also want the opportunity to understand it, question it and have a meaningful voice in how it develops."
Professor Seth Bullock, AI4CI Hub Director, said public engagement was important to ensuring AI was used responsibly.
“The chances that AI will be used responsibly and in ways that benefit our society are surely increased whenever the public are engaged in conversations about what AI is and what it can do,” he added.
Those who attended have been invited to take part in a follow-up survey looking at what they believe Northern Ireland should prioritise as AI develops, what safeguards should be put in place and what support people need to become more informed about the technology.
The event forms part of the AICC’s wider work to promote awareness and adoption of AI among businesses in Northern Ireland, with a focus on ethical and responsible innovation.
The centre is a partnership between Ulster University and Queen’s University Belfast and is funded by Invest Northern Ireland and the Department for the Economy.
It has supported more than 117 SME collaborations, established an AI Learning Lab and trained more than 570 professionals in AI skills. It has also created 260 fully funded postgraduate places to date.